Day 5 on the Tahoe Rim Trail: Cruising and resupplying for the first time

• Miles they walked: 9.5
• Miles covered: 34.7-44.2
• Miles remaining: 130.8
• No. of drunken Lemsips: 1

I slept very well and woke up feeling much better than the day before. Not 100% but it was no longer attached to a tissue. I drank more Lemsip, we packed up camp and refilled our water. The goal was to hike the 10 miles to the Spooner Summit trailhead and then head into town to resupply, get a hotel for the night so I could continue resting, and most excitingly, take a shower!

Walking with the goal of showering and going to bed is a great motivation

After leaving the Marlette Peak campground, the trail this morning went through a forest and again there was an uphill section. Today was the first time I felt like I didn’t need to stop as much and that the altitude wasn’t a problem, so maybe I was starting to adapt.

Part of the trail today reminded me of Scotland because it was so green. There were more views of Lake Marlette and beyond to Lake Tahoe. The Nevada stretch so far had not been at all what I had imagined. I expected it to be quite rocky and exposed, and without much vegetation.

I also expected it to be much warmer than it was. Today also felt warmer than the previous days, but one advantage of being at altitude is that it hadn’t gotten too hot yet. Temperatures in late August, when we were walking, were around 24°C (~75°F).

After the uphill section, it was mostly a downhill and then a flat hike to the trailhead. I felt like I was sailing. We arrived at Spooner Summit in time to have lunch in town. The day had flown by and I felt like I could have walked a lot more.

The day’s hike is completed at the Spooner North trailhead.

Try hitchhiking for the first time

The Spooner Summit trailhead had a parking lot and we were hoping someone would get out and drive into town or someone passing by on Highway 50 would stop. It was the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, so there were a lot of cars and I was feeling pretty positive.

That changed when we tried for almost half an hour to get a problem. I was getting hot from being in the sun and we hadn’t had any luck. I asked two women returning to their car if they were headed into town. One of them seemed completely confused, asked me if I was lost and then told me that they lived in the area, so no, they weren’t going in that direction; They then proceeded to turn in that direction anyway!

A man we had run into numerous times that morning, taking turns passing us, returned to his car but unfortunately he was heading toward Carson City in the opposite direction, so again we were out of luck.

We were about to have to pay for an expensive Uber to get into town, when C pulled up in his truck and was happy to give us a ride. He said he and his girlfriend always stop to offer rides to hikers when they see them. I was so grateful that he stopped and took us the 20 minutes to South Lake Tahoe. We had a nice chat during the trip and he gave us some tips on where it’s good to camp on the trail, suggested some places to stay in town, and told us about his love of skiing.

South Lake Tahoe during Labor Day weekend

As we drove into town, first through Stateline and then across the border, back into California, we could see cars and people everywhere. It was also noticeably warmer than where we had been walking.

After we were dropped off, we headed straight to lunch at South Lake Brewing Company. I was very happy to be sitting in the cool and even more excited to be able to wash my hands in warm soapy water.

Ben had a hamburger and I had chicken tenders and fries. A good first meal in the city. Then we needed to find a place to spend the night. We already knew the prices would be higher than ideal since it was Labor Day weekend, but we found a decent looking motel and went to check it out.

Chicken tenders and fries at South Lake Brewing Company

Finally taking a shower

It wasn’t luxurious, but for one night, the Bluelake Inn was more than adequate for what we needed. The first thing was a shower, a hair wash and washing my hiking clothes in the bathroom. My hair, which I thought would feel all greasy, was actually fine since I had braided it and left it in for the past four days. It was very nice to be clean again, especially after being sweaty and feverish the other night. The mixture of sunscreen and dirt made my legs much dirtier than I thought.

Refuel and eat vegetables

Ben and I hung out in our room enjoying the ability to carry our items and just sit with our legs up on the bed for a while. The rest didn’t last as long as I expected as we then had to walk to the shops to restock on food for the next part of the walk.

We decided to walk to the supermarket and it was hot outside. My skirt, which was damp when I put it back on, dried very quickly in the sun. We stopped at McDonald’s for cold drinks and then made a stop at CVS for some medical supplies before heading to Safeways for food.

We bought dinner at the hot counter at Whole Foods, which excitingly meant vegetables, and then walked back to the inn to eat and put our things away. The time difference meant we were able to catch up with family and friends in the UK and then it was time for bed.

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